WAVELETS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18659, 30 August 1930, Page 15

WAVELETS.

A Music Week will commence in Sydney to-night, and will be featured by 2BL and 2FC.

Three Rarotangans will perform at IYA to-night. A novelty on 2YA’s programme will be the White Coons’ Trio, who will play banjo, mandolin, and dulcimer. The last-named is a stringed instrument played with two sticks.

Cricket enthusiasts who stayed up late to listen to news of the cricket tests had to suffer some dreadful inflictions in' the periods between announcements of scores. The improvising by pianists was bad enough, but the stump speeches and feeble attempts at humour by the studio staffs and visitors were absolutely painful.

Most New Zealanders pronounce the name of the New South Wales town Goulburn as Goolburn, but the natives call it Goalbum. This was made obvious by the relay of a Leidertafel concert from there by 2FC.

The Maori tongue, particularly Its vowel sounds, is variously rendered from New Zealand stations. And announcer pronounces Waikouaiti as Wackawyte, while another makes it Wokawyeety. The Maori full-back in some places is Neppier and in others Napier. It is the same with foreign languages. Chopin is sometimes Showpang and again Shoppain. A Timaru lady musician was announced from 3YA a few days ago as Mrs Mango.

The portable receiver, which is a rarity in this country, has a great vogue in England, where its limited range is not such a great disability. The number of transmitting stations in the Old Country makes the portable practicable almost anywhere. The latest development in portable sets is the all-electric, which may be operated anywhere off a lighting circuit. The weight of a set of batteries was a big drawback to the portable even in England, but the electric model promises to become extremely popular there.

Mr A. R. Harris, general manager of the Radio Broadcasting Company, was a passenger on the “Makura,” arriving in Wellington on Monday. He has been on a three months’ visit to the United States of America and Canada, during which time he had investigated everything pertaining to broadcasting on both the entertainment and technical sides. Fifty thousand licensees will be anxiously awaiting developments.

The publicity man of the A.B.C. put the following over a week or two ago:— “The Australian Broadcasting Company, supplying the national broadcasting service for the Commonwealth Government, is not permitted to allow any advertising, direct or indirect, to go over their stations.” The Company’s logic is as queer as its grammar. If it is not advertising to give the name of the maker of every record either before or after—often both—a gramophone item is played, the Company must have a definition of its own.

The A class “chain” in Australia was badly beaten on time for test cricket news by the B grades. The low power of the B stations made them of little use to the majojrity of New Zealand listeners, who had to rely on the big fellows for scores, but it was probably the other way round in the Australian cities. The better and quicker service given by the B grades was made possible by the “sponsored” programme system which is a feature of American radio transmissions. Big firms pay the cost of the service, and in return have an announcement made to that effect with two or three minutes devoted to prafte of their wares. Huge sums are paid by large United States manufacturers and warehouses for this class of advertising over chain stations, and the system is being developed by a combination of B plants in Australia.

2BL’S Sunday afternoon programme this week was concluded by a relay from a private home at Point of a programme by a “residence” Wurlitzer organ. The instrument is an unusual one. It has three consoles, placed in different parts of the house. One console is known as an artists’ roll. It has 154 notes, and automatically changes its own stops, and operates its own expression. Another console is of the ordinary manual type familiar in picture theatres. It can reproduce the human voice, an orchestra, singing of birds, rippling of water, chimes, and any instrument such as oboe, piccolo, flute, clarinet, etc. The third console has 88 notes and plays pianola rolls, operating its own expression.

Radio telephonic communications between Rio de Janerio and Bangkok, oiam, was maintained successfully for 20min. recently. The distance between the two points over the circuit, which was operated by way of Berlin, is estimated at 16,080 miles.

It is only natural that the “trade” in Australia should be alarmed at the movement to exclude the broadcaster from racecourses and other sports grounds. “Shop” bookmakers, hotels and billiard rooms in the Commonwealth are among the best customers of radio dealers. The New Zealand Broadcasting Co., in support of its plea

that it should be given the right, without payment, to enter racecourses.

football grounds, and other places of entertainment, put in a strong plea for the halt and the sick—until it was suggested that it should provide receivers in hospitals and sanatoriums. The trade in Sydney takes a new line, and pretends to champion the men outback. “There would be no following at all for sports if it were not for the people outback whe derive their entertainment from broadcasting. The only producers of new wealth are those who take part in primary production, and it is this wealth which supports those engaged in secondary industries, so that a population is held together which can attend sporting events in the cities.” Of course, the radio dealers’ sales has nothing to do with the matter. All the specious arguments put forward on behalf of the broadcasters, sidestep the main point at issue— whether the companies should pay for the right to secure the ta&st valuable portions of their programmed?

A wireless Journal in Paris, tpo Parleur” (“Loud Speaker”), has concluded an inquiry into the tastes of listeners which reveals some unexpected preferences. Its readers were asked to signify the solo instrument which they preferred above all others. The violin received the second largest number of votes, with 996 to its credit. Next came the ’cello, with 984. Some distance behind came the Hawaiian guitar, with 488, the comet with 340, the flute with 204, the bugle with 188, and the saxophone with 128. And what was first choice? Why, the accordion, of course. It received 1102 votes.

Wireless reception in Continental trains is becoming a commonplace. In Germany it is achieved by “wired wireless” throughout the carriages, and in Canada reception is regularly carried out on the long-distance expresses, passengers hearing broadcast concerts on headphones or a loud speaker. People who are travelling in Pullmans between Paris and Havre have spoken appreciatively of the broadcasts from Paris and elsewhere. A charge of tenpence a journey is made for use of headphones. In Hungary a regular broadcasting service was inaugurated on the State Railways toward the end of 1928. A charge of sixpence an hour is made for headphones, which are carried above every seat.